December 3
311: Sixty-sixty year old Emperor Diocletian passed away.
1368: Birthdate of Charles VI, the French king who would order the expulsion of the Jews from his realm in 1394. Unlike the orders of expulsion issued by some of his predecessors this one remained in force with Jews not returning to France until the 17th century.
1447: Birthdate of Bayezid II the Sultan who is 1492, issued a formal invitation to the Jews expelled from Spain and Portugal and sent out ships to safely bring Jews to his empire.
1685: King Charles XI of Sweden ordered the governor-general of the capital to see that no Jews were permitted to settle in Stockholm, or in any other part of the country, "on account of the danger of the eventual influence of the Jewish religion on the pure evangelical faith."
1809: Birthdate of Samuel Adler a leading German-American Reform rabbi, Talmudist, and author who was also the father of Felix Adler, the well-known founder of the Society for Ethical Culture.
1818: Illinois Union . “John Hays was the first Jewish pioneer in Illinois Chicago Illinois
1819: Birthdate of Daniel Abramovich Chwolson, the native of Vilna who became a distinguished Orientalist and defender of the Jews from the rampant anti-Semitism of Czarist Russia.
1847(25th of Kislev, 5608): Chanukah
1850: In Padua, Samuel David Luzzatto and his wife gave birth to Beniamino Luzzatto, the Italian physician who became chief of the propaedeutic clinic of Padua University.
1852: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Benjamin Disraeli, delivered a major address today in the House of Commons on the subject of taxation. The speech, which was well received, contained proposals to change the Tea Duties and the Income Tax.
1854(12th of Kislev, 5615: A German-born Jew, Edward (Teddy) Thonen was killed today when troops stormed the stockade during the goldfields uprising at Ballarat, Australia.
1857: Birthdate of Dr. Carl Koller. Koller was a Czech-born American ophthalmic surgeon whose introduction of cocaine as a surface anesthetic in eye surgery (1884) inaugurated the modern era of local anesthesia. He was a colleague of Sigmund Freud, who in 1884 was interested in the use of cocaine to cure morphine addiction. Koller noticed cocaine had a numbing effect on the tongue and, after experimenting with animals, introduced it as a local anesthetic in ophthalmology. It was also quickly adopted for nose and throat surgery and for dentistry. He died in 1944. Koller was one of the so-called Vienna Trio made up of three Jewish doctors - Carl Koller (1857-1944), Sigmund Lustgarten (1857-1911) and Sigmund Freud (1856-1939). All three are characterized by several interesting similarities. In their early achievements in medical research they were pathfinders of the first successful local anesthetic: cocaine. All three became later victims of anti-Semitism
1859:At the Green-street Synagogue in NYC, Rabbi S.M. Isaacs “delivered a stirring appeal to his congregation on behalf of the Jews who have fled from Morocco and taken refuge at Gibraltar. Their suffering co-religionist were forced to take flight because of the fighting between the natives and Spain. Issacs acknowledged the help rendered by the British who had provided the refugees with tents and food. He also expressed thanks fro support from the local Christian population. But he still urged his congregants and the rest of the Jewish community to come to the aid of the some 29,000 Jews who had been living along the Barbary Coast.
1861(30th of Kislev, 5622): Rosh Chodesh Tevet
1871: The annual meeting of the B’nai Jeshurun Ladies’ Benevolent Society and Home for Aged Hebrews took place today the 34th Street Synagogue. Following the reading of the annual report the following officers were elected: Mrs. Henry Leo, President; Mrs. H. B. Hertz, Vice President; Mrs. Zion Bernstein, Treasurer; Judge P.J. Joachimsen, Honorary Counsel; Dr. Simeon U. Leo, Physician
1873: The Oratorio Society, a choral music society founded by Leopold Damrosch gave its first concert today
1875: Birthdate of Father Bernhard Lichtenberg German clergyman, anti-fascist and outspoken defender of the Jews of Germany. For example, after Kristallnachtwhile the German churches kept their silence in face of the vicious attack upon the Jews, Lichtenberg was the only Church man to raise his voice publicly and fearlessly against Nazi brutality. “We know what happened yesterday, we do not know what lies in store for us tomorrow. But we have experienced what has happened today: Outside burns the temple. This is also a place of worship.” From that evening until his arrest in 1941, Lichtenberg continued to pray daily from his pulpit in the St Hedwig Cathedral for the both Jews and Jewish Christians as well as other victims of the regime. Following his two year imprisonment, Lichtenberg turned the Gestapo’s offer to leave him alone if he would stop speaking out against the regime. Lichtenberg asked to be allowed to accompany the Jews and Jewish Christians being sent to the Ghetto at Lodz , Poland Dachau November 5, 19 43
1878:Settlers arrive at Petach Tikvah in what is now Israel Jerusalem Jericho
1880: The Hebrew Benevolent and Orphan Asylum Society “purchase the Devlin property at 10thAvenue, the Boulevard and 136th to 138th Streets for $138,000” with the intention of constructing a facility at this location.
1880: At Gottingen University, a group of students is preparing a statement for the Rector protesting the distribution of Court Chaplain Adolph Stocker’s “petition against the Jews.
1881: “Some Minor Foreign Facts” published today include estimates of the Jewish population that “have been prepared in Rome showing that there are 6,568,000 Jews in the world, 5,500,000 of whom live in Europe, 240,000 in Asia, 500,000 in Africa and 308,000 in America.
1882: “Notes On Art” published today described the discovery of a“grotesque wall painting” called ‘The Judgment of Solomon,’ a veritable caricature of the famous Biblical story” in a house at Pompeii that had been built by merchants from ancient Alexandria, a city “well acquainted with Jewish lore” which would have accounted for the artistic creation.
1885(25thof Kislev, 5646): Chanukah
1885: Birthdate of chess champion Edward Lasker.
1885: “Lighting A Candle Each Day” published today described the celebration of Chanukah, a “festival that last eight days” where “at the beginning of each day the orthodox Hebrew family lights a candle until they eight candles burning.”
1886: A wealthy French Jew named Altmayer who was serving time for embezzlement has escaped from the Mazas Prison using a “forged letter of release.”
1887: In New York, Judge Barrett has decided “that the child about whose ownership the mulattoes William and Jennie Lee and the Russian Jews Bertha and Harris Brodsky have each been contesting is Nellie Lee and not Yetta Brodsky and has order the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children to deliver her to the Lees. The unanswered question is, what has become of the missing Yetta Brodsky
1888: Supporters of Boulanger rallied in Paris today shouting for an end to the Republic and chanting “Down with the Jews!” (French anti-Semitism was a subset of right-wing hostility towards the Third Republic)
1889: A party of fifty Jews from several cities including Ogden, Utah and Chicago, Illinois, passed through Pittsburgh, PA today on their way to Jerusalem.
1890(21stof Kislev, 5651): Leonard Arnheim, the four year old son of Ida and Lewis Arnheim, passed away. Lewis Arnheim served in the Georgia State Legislature as a representative from rural Dougherty County and was the son-in-law of David Mayer of Atlanta. A native of Germany, he made a career in the law before taking an active role in state politics.
1891: The residence of the Home for Aged and Infirm Hebrews are scheduled to enjoy a free evening of musical entertainment.
1892: The Moscow Chamber Commerce resolved “to exclude all Jews from the list of city merchants unless they” convert and become Greek Orthodox.
1892: In Chattanooga, TN, Harry Clay Adler and Ada Ochs gave birth to Julius Ochs Adler, the publisher of The Chattanooga Timesand general manager of The New York Timeswho had a distinguished military career in both World Wars.
1892: Judith Solis-Cohen began a ten year stint as the editor for “the weekly ‘Womanknd’ column in the Jewish Exponent.” (As reported by the Jewish Women’s Archives)
1894: In Baltimore, MD, Jacob and Hilda (Kaplan) Sobeloff gave birth to Simon Sobeloff who served as Solicitor General of the United States and Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth District.
1894: Glass dealer Benjamin Rosenthal was assaulted by a gang of boys hollering “Sheeny, sheeny” at 34th Street and 5th Avenue in Manahattan.
1895: Birthdate of Anna Freud, Austrian-born English psychoanalyst and daughter of Sigmund Freud.She was the founder of child psychoanalysis and one of its foremost practitioners. She also made fundamental contributions to understanding how the ego, or consciousness, functions in averting painful ideas, impulses, and feelings. She diverged from her father in emphasizing the role of the ego (as opposed to id forces) in psychological functioning. Her book The ego and mechanisms of defense (1936) laid the groundwork for ego psychology. She was one of the first psychoanalysts to work primarily with children. She passed away1982.
1900:In Great Britain, The Court of Appeal has rendered a decision upholding that of a Divisional Court in the suit of the Attorney General vs. the Jewish Colonization Association. The Crown claimed estate and succession duty upon the death of Baron Maurice de Hirsch. This victory means the Crown gains upwards of 1,250,000 English pounds.
1902: Birthdate of American artist Louis Leon Ribak, the husband of artist Beatrice Mandelman, who passed away at Taos, NM in 1979
1903: Birthdate of mathematician John von Neumann. Born in Hungary
1903: Birthdate of Abe Pollin future owner of the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Washington Wizards, the National Hockey League's (NHL) Washington Capitals and Women's National Basketball Association's (WNBA) Washington Mystics. Pollin would use his own money to build a home for the Wizards that would revitalize a large section of downtown Washington, D.C. He would also support a number of civic and charitable efforts that would do everything from rewarding public school teachers to feeding starving children in Africa. If the first question asked of a soul by the heavenly court is “How did you conduct yourself when doing business?” Pollin will pass with flying colors.
1904(25thof Kislev, 5665): Chanukah
1904 (25th of Kislev, 5665):Rabbi Chaim Chizkiah Medini, the author of the Halachic encyclopedia Sdei Chemed passed away.
1914: The American Jewish Committee appropriates $2,500 for an orphan asylum in Sophia , Bulgaria
1919: Pierre-Auguste Renoir, the French artist who painted “Alice and Elisabeth Cahen d’Anvers” (most commonly referred to as Pink and Blue) passed away. The painting portrayed the 2 daughters of the banker Louis Raphael Cahen d'Anvers, the blonde, Elisabeth, born in December 1874, and the younger, Alice, in February 1876, when they were respectively six and five years old. The artist produced many portraits for the families of the Parisian Jewish community at the time. Renoir was commissioned to paint many portraits for this family, which he had met through the collector Charles Ephrussi, proprietor of the "Gazette des Beaux-Arts."
1914: Birthdate of composer Irving Fine.
1917: In Austria, Rudolf and Helena Brasse gave birth to Wihlelm Brasse, the unwilling creator of the part of the photographic record of the Holocaust.(As reported by Dennis Hevesi)
1920: Sir Mathew Nathan, the second son of Jonah and Miriam Nathan began serving as the 13thGovernor of Queensland (Australia)
1922: Birthdate of Henry Anatole Grunwald, an Austrian-born Jewish-American journalist and diplomat perhaps best known for his position as managing editor of TIME magazine and editor in chief of Time, Inc.
1922: Birthdate of Len Lesser, a veteran character actor best known for his recurring role in the 1990s as Uncle Leo on the hit NBC-TV comedy "Seinfeld."
1922:Silent movie, Hungry Hearts produced by the Goldwyn Company and based on a book of the same name written by Anzia Yezierska opened in Los Angeles. In her short stories and novels, author Anzia Yezierska focused on the challenges faced by young Jewish women trying to navigate between their immigrant families and their desire to become part of America
1923: In Pittsburgh, PA, Rabbi Wolf Leiter and his wife gave birth to photographer Saul Leiter.
http://www.gallery51.com/index.php?navigatieid=9&fotograafid=151925: George Gershwin's Piano Concerto in F is premiered at Carnegie Hall.
1930: Rodgers and Hart's musical "Evergreen" premiered in London
1934: In what is said to be the first clinical conference in medical history devoted to chronic diseases opened this morning at the Montefiore Hospital for Chronic Diseases, Gun Hill Road, the Bronx, and will continue through the week. The conference is the chief scientific feature of the observance of the hospital's fiftieth anniversary. The hospital was named in honor of the great British born Jewish philanthropist and the original funding was largely raised by the Jewish community.
1937: Birthdate of British attorney and businessman Stephen Rubin. The founder of Pentland, he struck it rich with Reebok and Adidas.
1937: The Palestine Post reported that a large police unit accompanied by a detachment of Transjordanian Frontier Force, scoured Galilee in pursuit of Arab terrorists that had murdered two Arab policemen and apparently sought to escape to Syria. In London Palestine Negev , which ought to be included in the Jewish state in any partition negotiations.
1937: The Palestine Post reported that the total official population of Palestine
1938: The German government decrees that all Jewish industries, shops, and businesses must be forcibly "Aryanized."
1939: Among the patents issued this week was one issued to Rudoph Feige of Tel Aviv for “a tropical hat with a crown separated from the brim to provide and air circulating slot around the hat…”
1940: Heads of educational institutions and other prominent persons were among the 3,000 attending a funeral service for Rabbi Bernard (Dov) Revel, one of the founders of Yeshiva College Yeshiva University
1940: Debut of Bugs Bunny with the voice supplied by Mel Blanc. Bugs Bunny was not Jewish but Mel was.
1941: Amidst the misery of the Lodz Ghetto, a newly arrived Viennese Pianist, Leopold Birkenfeld held a concert for his fellow Jews. He played Shubert, Liszt and Beethoven brilliantly.
1942(24th of Kislev, 5703): In the evening, kindle the first Chanukah candle.
1942(24th of Kislev, 5703): The Nazis shot three young girls who had escaped from Poznan labor camp
1942(24th of Kislev, 5703): One thousand Jews from Plonsk, Poland, are killed at Auschwitz.
1942(24th of Kislev, 5703): Salomon Malkes, an official of the Lódz Ghetto, commits suicide after becoming despondent over the deportation of his mother.
1942: An unknown photographer took a picture of Jews in the Drancy assembly and detention camp which was the departure point for sending French Jews to Auschwitz. The picture is part of the Yad Vashem Photo Archives.
1943: At a meeting with the German ambassador Francisco Franco said, “’Thank God a clear appreciation of dangers caused by Jews led our catholic Kings to insure ‘we have for centuries been relieved of that nauseating burden.’” Oddly enough, Franco actually protected that ‘nauseating burden’ from the clutches of the Final Solution.
1944:Hungarian death march of Jews ends
1944: Beginning of the Greek Civil War in which pro-Soviet Communist forces attempt to destroy the pro-Western government.
1945:Abdul Azzam Bey, Arab League secretary general, announces that member states will boycott all Jewish-produced goods from Palestine beginning January 1,1946.
1947(20th of Kislev, 5708): While Jewish workers were evacuating undamaged goods from the Centre a group of Arabs attacked them, killing Yitzhak Penzo,
1947: Arab violence continues with an attack on a synagogue in the Old City
1948: Mission of the UN Mediator on the Palestine Disaster Relief Project meets with volunteer agencies. Dr. Pierre Descooeudres, chief of mission, reports that refugees in camps do not have good living conditions. More supplies are needed as well as a better system of transporting them. Refugees tend to feel frustrated and isolated, although the goal of the camps is to build a sense of social consciousness.
1952(15th of Kislev, 5713): Rudolph Slansky, former secretary-general of the Czech Communist Party, Rudolf Margolius and 9 of their co-defendants were hanged after a show trial aimed at purging alleged Zionist conspirators.
1952: The Jerusalem Post reported the Israeli denial that its troops crossed the armistice lines in the vicinity of Jerusalem Jordan Jerusalem Jordan
1956: As part of the end of the Suez Crisis England France Egypt
1958: Rabbi Ya’akov Moshe Toledano was appointed Minister of Religions.
1960: Lerner and Loewe’s musical hit Camelot opens for the first of 873 performances at the Majestic Theatre in New York City
1961(25thof Kislev, 5722): Chanukah for the first time during the Presidency of JFK.
1961: The Beetles meet their future agent Brian Epstein.
1967: Surgeons in Cape Town , South Africa Lithuania
1968: Hunter Hawker Jets of the Royal Jordanian Air Force attack IAF craft as they bomb PLO terror camps in Jordan.
1970: The world of detectives took on Jewish look when The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes, written by I.A.L. Diamond and directed and produced by Billy Wilder appeared in theatres in the United Kingdom for the first time.
1977: President Tito of Yugoslavia began a two day tour of Romania during which he said "Israel exists for many years as a genuine fact, is recognized by the UN and is a member of it; any other view would be unrealistic. Thus, all the Arab states must recognize Israel as a state."
1983(9th of Kislev, 5745):Vladimir Abramovich Rokhlin one of the leading Soviet mathematicians, working in the fields of topology, geometry and ergodic theory passed away.
1984(9thof Kislev, 5745): Sixty-five year old Soviet mathematician Vladimir Abramovich Rokhlin passed away today
1985: Michael Dekel and Weizman Shiry began serving as Deputy Ministers of Defense.
1985: Jack Anderson described the work of Zwi Kanar, a mime who survived 6 concentration camps.
1985(20th of Kislev, 5746): Eighty-four year old Rabbi Phillip S. Bernstein who worked to settle displaced Jews after WW II, passed away today.
1988: Five Soviet hijackers seized a bus full of schoolchildren, exchanged their hostages for a cargo plane and more than $3 million in ransom, then flew to Israel and surrendered to Israeli authorities. No one was hurt in the episode, either in the Soviet Union or in Israel. The hijackers, four men and a woman, were apparently not Jews, and their reason for choosing Israel as a destination was unclear. After a long day of tense anticipation, Israeli officials sent away the dozens of ambulances, sharpshooters and army commandos stationed at Ben-Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, and openly wondered how five common ''robbers,'' as Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin called them, could have caused such an incident. Money Traded for Children ''I can only express astonishment how authorities of a major power like the Soviet Union allowed five simple criminals with four pistols and a hunting rifle to leave the U.S.S.R.,'' Mr. Rabin said on the airport tarmac after the hijacking ended. In Moscow, the Soviet press agency Tass said that Soviet authorities decided to provide the Aeroflot cargo plane and the money to save the lives of the hostages, 30 fourth-graders and a teacher. The Soviet flight engineer, Yuri N. Yermilov, insisted that the hijackers ''were just people who wanted to fly out of the Soviet Union,'' and added, ''They demanded a plane to Israel, and the Soviets gave them this one.'' On landing, he said, the hijackers demanded to know if they were in Israel or Syria, and added, ''If this is Israel, we'll stay.'' After the plane was parked and the door was opened, the hijackers requested evidence but could not read the Hebrew on the soldier's identity card they were shown. So they asked to see something with a Star of David on it, or to hear someone speak Yiddish. Finally they were convinced they had actually landed in Israel. After 20 minutes on the ground the hijackers released the eight-member crew and surrendered a few minutes later. But the hijackers may not stay here for long. Israel is eager to re-establish diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, and Mr. Rabin said Israel would return them ''if there is a proper request to extradite them.'' This evening, the hijackers were being held by the police ''like anyone else who enters the country illegally,'' said Maj. Gen. Amram Mitzna of the Israeli Army. Mr. Yermilov said the flight crew wanted to return home as soon as possible. And almost as soon as the hijackers were taken away on a bus, technicians were checking the plane's tires to see if the jetliner was in condition for a return flight. The Israeli Army radio called the incident ''a parody of a skyjacking.'' The drama started Thursday in the Caucasus town of Ordzhonikidze. The hijackers, armed with the pistols and rifle, seized the bus, which carried the children and a teacher. The Soviet authorities, who in the past have refused to negotiate with hijackers, this time acceded to the request for the plane and the money, and in exchange the hijackers let all of the hostages go. Moscow has been criticized for its decision to have troops storm a plane commandeered in March by a family of jazz musicians. Nine people, including three passengers and a flight attendant, were killed in the cross-fire. Israel first learned of the hijacking early this morning, when aviation authorities received a telex in from the Soviet Union warning that the plane, taken ''by a group of armed aggressors,'' was on the way. At first Israel though it was a hoax but later confirmed that the situation was real. Ambulances and TroopsIn Moscow, Soviet officials said the hijackers named several countries as possible destinations, including Turkey, Egypt and Israel. Although Israel and the Soviet Union do not have diplomatic relations, each country has a consular delegation in the other, and consular officials were used to pass information back and forth through the afternoon. When Israel learned that there were no hostages on board aside from the plane's crew, officials said at first that they would turn the plane away. But they said the Soviet Union asked Israel to let the plane land, so Israel agreed. Not sure what was coming, the authorities sent more than 60 ambulances and hundreds of troops to the airport. The Transporation Minister, Defense Minister, and senior army commanders came to the scene. Mr. Yermilov said that on board the plane, the three-hour flight ''was normal, and we weren't frightened.'' When the jetliner approached Israeli airspace, an air force attack fighter was sent to escort it. And when the plane approached Ben-Gurion Airport about 5:45 P.M., all runway lights were turned off except one set that led to a remote military portion of the airfield. Commercial service at the airport continued uninterrupted, and people waiting for flights crowded to the windows, though from the terminal they could see no sign of the Soviet plane. After the plane landed without incident, flight controllers asked ''to speak to the person in charge of the plane.'' A crew member radioed back: ''Just a minute.'' But then flight controllers heard nothing more. Surrender After Persuasio But almost immediately after the plane came to a stop, uniformed Soviet crew members climbed out and asked for a translator, which was provided right away. After a short series of conversations, the five hijackers surrendered, without condition. They had made no demands. It took ''a bit of persuasion,'' General Mitzna said. But the hijackers climbed down, several of them still wearing fur hats, handed over their weapons and stood on the tarmac for a few minutes before they were taken away. They left the money on the plane. When Defense Minister Rabin asked to board the plane a few minutes later, the crew refused. They asserted that it was ''Russian territory.'' The Israeli authorities made public no identifying information about the hijackers. And they were clearly perplexed about why the hijackers came here. ''I still don't know why,'' General Mitzna said. ''They checked several other possibilities, other countries in the region, and in the end somehow decided on Israel. They probably understood it would be safe to go to Israel.'',As for the hijackers, an Israeli Army radio reporter who saw them as they were taken away reported that they looked ''a little perplexed and confused.''
1989: Billy Bathgate by E. L. Doctorow, Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution by Simon Schama, From Beirut Jerusalem
1990(16th of Kislev, 5751): One Israeli was killed and five were wounded today in a stabbing attack aboard a bus in Israel, officials said. The police said three West Bank Palestinians climbed aboard the bus just outside Tel Aviv this morning, rode a few stops sitting in the back, then got up screaming "Allah Akhbar," or God is great, as they drew knives and stabbed four Jewish passengers. One of the Israelis, a 24-year-old student at a religious school, died in a hospital a short time later. Witness accounts said that as the Arabs were slashing him and other passengers, the bus driver opened the doors so the Jews could flee. Then the driver pulled a gun, holding the attackers at bay until the police arrived. One of the Arabs then slashed a policeman, who shot and killed him, the accounts said. The other two were taken outside, where they were beaten by passersby and then taken to a hospital. The stabbings were the latest of more than a dozen similar incidents over the last six weeks.
1990: Birthdate of Canadian professional tennis player Sharon Fichman
1994(30thof Kislev, 5755): Rosh Chodesh Tevet and Shabbat Chanukah – three Torah scrolls
1994(30thof Kislev, 5755): Seventy-three year old German born Anglo-Jewish historian who specialized in the Tudors passed away today.
1995(10th of Kislev, 5756): Matityahu Shmuelevitz, a close aide to the late Prime Minister Menachem Begin, passed away today at the age of 75. Yehiel Kadishai, a longtime Begin spokesman, said that doctors at Tel Aviv's Tel Hashomer Hospital, where Mr. Shmuelevitz was taken after he collapsed on Saturday, reported that the cause of death was a blood clot. From 1980 to 1983, Mr. Shmuelevitz served as chief of the Prime Minister's office under Mr. Begin. The Polish-born Mr. Shmuelevitz immigrated to Palestine, then ruled by Britain, in 1938 and joined the Lehi, a right-wing Jewish underground group that was also known as the Stern gang. He was imprisoned by the British in 1940, escaped in 1943 and was wounded and recaptured in 1944. He was sentenced to death for firing at a British officer and carrying illegal arms. His sentence was commuted to life, but he escaped from jail in February 1948. He was a businessman for many years afterward.
1995:Zola: A Lifeby Frederick Brown, Sabbath’s Theatre by Philip RothOvercoming Law by Richard A. Posner are among the twelve books chosen by the New York TimesBook Review to the best books published in the country during the preceding year.
1997:Michael Abraham Levy, Baron Levy made his maiden speech in the House of Lords.
1999(24th of Kislev, 5760): In the evening, kindle the first light of Chanukah
1999(24th of Kislev, 5760): Actress and comedian Madeline Kahn passed away.
1999(24thof Kislev, 5760): Sixty seven “Lebanese Brazilian Jewish banker” Edmond J. Safra passed away in Monaco.
2000: The New York Times list of the Best Books of 2000 contains the following works about Jewish related subjects or by Jewish authors including The Human Stain by Phillip Roth and One Palestine Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate by Tom Segev.
2001(18thof Kislev, 5762): Ninety year old Gerhart Moritz Riegner the“World Jewish Congress official who was the first to warn an incredulous world that Nazi Germany had formally decided at the highest levels to annihilate Europe's Jews” passed away in Geneva today. (As reported by Douglas Martin)
2001: In the wake of bombings that killed 26 Israelis, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared war on terror.
2003: A party was held in honor of Abe Pollin's 80th birthday at the Verizon Center. A slideshow was presented about the history of Abe's career as owner of the Bullets/Wizards. Tony Bennett also performed there as the guest entertainer.
2004(20th of Kislev, 5765): Chaim Madar the chief rabbi of Tunisia's Jewish community, passed away today in Jerusalem. His funeral services were held at the Beit Mordekhai Synagogue in La Goulette, Tunis, and the El Ghriba synagogue on the island of Djerba where he lived for most of his life. Among those extending their condolences was Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. According to some, the Jewish community dates back to the time of the destruction of the First Temple.
2005: Today, Israel reiterated threats made last week to block Palestinians from access to the Karni and Erez crossings if the flow of terrorists into Gaza continues.
2006: (12 Kislev): Yahrzeit for Rabbi Solomon Shechter. Schechter’s life is too richly textured to do more than just hit the highlights in this short blurb. He was born in 1847 and died at the age of 68 in 1915 in
2006: The Washington Post’sselections for best non-fiction in 2006 include:Sweet and Low: A Family Story, by Rich Cohen,The Accidental Empire: Israel and the Birth of the Settlements, 1967-1977, by Gershom Gorenberg,The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East, by Sandy Tolan, Prisoners: A Muslim and a Jew Across the Middle East Divide, by Jeffrey Goldberg,The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million, by Daniel Mendelsohn; Fear: Anti-Semitism in Poland After the Holocaust, by Jan T. Gross, My Father Is a Book: A Memoir of Bernard Malamud, by Janna Malamud Smith.
2006: The Israel Cancer Research Funds’ “Celebration of Life-Tower of Hope Ball” is held at the
2007:An exhibition styled “The Art of Rabbi Shnoi Labowitz” presented by The Jewish Museum of Florida comes to an end.
2007: Sixty one years after he was buried at a cemetery in southeast
2008: Nicholas F. Tabman completed his service as the United States Ambassador to Romania.
2008:At Princeton. N.J., The Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs presents "Israel and Palestine at a Crossroad" - A panel discussion with Sari Nusseibeh, president of Al-Quds University; former US ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer of Princeton University; and Itamar Rabinovitch, former Israeli ambassador to the US.
2008: In New York,The American Sephardi Federation presents a showing of Jews of Lebanon (Le Petite Histoire des Juifs du Liban) a film that recounts the demise of the Lebanese Jewish community over the last four decades when it went from a community of 8,000 in the 1960’s to a mere 60 at the start of the of the 21stcentury with most of its members now in “exile to many countries.”
2008:Rabbi Emanuel Rackman, a leading Orthodox thinker and an early champion of women's rights, who passed away on Monday at the age of 98 was buried in Jerusalem.
2009:Activist Greg Mortenson, author (with David Oliver Relin) of "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time," reads from and discusses his new book, "Stones into Schools: Promoting Peace with Books, Not Bombs, in Afghanistan and Pakistan," at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue.
2009: The Israel-America Chamber of Commerce presents “US & Israel: Confronting Challenges,” a daylong “symposium” that will identify current challenges in order to secure our economic future.”
2009: The Israel-America Award is presented to Kenneth J. Bialkin, Chairman, America-Israel Friendship League, for his continuous support of the State of Israel and his outstanding contribution to the economic growth between the US and Israel.
2009: Opening of the 20th Washington Jewish Film Festival.
2009: Alan Gross was taken into custody by Cuban authorities. Although not formally charged, the Cubans reportedly are claiming that he is linked to espionage activities involving the Cuban Jewish community.
2010: As part of the 21st Washington Jewish Film Festival British filmmaker Rex Bloomstein is scheduled to present a program entitled “Humor, Identity and the Holocaust”
2010: At the 92nd Street Y Light the menorah and Shabbat candles, eat latkes and challah, and celebrate Hanukkah and Shabbat at the same time!
2010: As Alan Gross prepares to mark the first anniversary of captivity at the hand of Cuban authorities, the leaders of Cuba’s two main Jewish groups both denied having worked with a jailed American contractor whose family says he was on the island to hand out communication equipment to Jewish organizations. Cuban authorities have accused Alan Gross of espionage, though they have not pressed charges despite keeping him in custody since he was detained on December 3, 2009.
2010: The Carmel fire was spreading late tonight from the direction of Haifa University towards the neighborhood of Denya in the city. Over 8,600 acres (35,000 dunams) had burned
2010(26thof Kislev, 5771):Eighty-one year old “Elaine Kaufman, who became something of a symbol of New York as the salty den mother of Elaine’s, one of the city’s best-known restaurants and a second home for almost half a century to writers, actors, athletes and other celebrities” passed away today (As reported by Enid Nemy)
2010: A Princeton student referendum on whether to ask the university’s dining services to provide an alternative brand of hummus to Sabra was defeated. Some 1,014 students voted against the referendum and 699 students were in favor during the three days of voting last week, according to results announced today. The Princeton Committee on Palestine initiated the referendum seeking other brands in university stores besides Sabra. The campaign reportedly was the brainchild of Philly BDS, which calls for boycott, divestment and sanctions against companies that support the Israel Defense Forces. Sabra is half-owned by The Strauss Group, which has publicly supported the IDF and provides care packages and sports equipment to Israeli soldiers.
2011: The first weekend of this year’s Hamshoushalayim is scheduled to come to an end.
2011: “Kaddish for a Friend” is one of four movies scheduled to be shown tonight at the 22nd Washington Jewish Film Festival.
2011: The JNF is scheduled to present “Modifying Afforestation Practices in Adaptation to Climate Change,” a program that demonstrates the techniques of JNF and Israel use to keep forests healthy in semi-arid regions, particularly when the regions encounter disasters such as last year’s Carmel fire.
2011: The traditional minyan at Temple Judah in Cedar Rapids, IA is to celebrate “Jewish Book Month Shabbat” with special honor to Living Jewish Literary Legends – Sir Martin Gilbert and Herman Wouk.
2011: Israel Police and the Knesset Guard assigned Meretz MK Zehava Gal-On a bodyguard today, following threats on her life.
2011:Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on today that Iran is getting closer to developing a nuclear bomb, and that new and more crippling sanctions should be imposed on the Islamic Republic.
2012:The Northern Virginia Hebrew Congregation is scheduled to sponsor a speech by Steven Pearlstein, Washington Post columnist and Professor of Public Affairs and International Relations at George Mason University entitled “ The Voters Have Spoken: What Is Our Economic Policy Now?”
2012(19thof Kislev, 5773): Yud-Tet-Kislev sometimes referred to as the Rosh Hashanah of Chassidism” celebrating the release Rabbi Schneur Zalman Liadi, the found of Chabad Chassidism from the prison of the Czar
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/335659/jewish/19-Kislev-The-New-Year-of-Chassidism.htm
2012(19thof Kislev): Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Dov Ber ben Avraham, the Maggid of Mezeritch who followed the Baal Shem Tov as the leader of the Chassidim.
2012: Bob Filner begins serving as the 35th Mayor of San Diego, CA.
2012: Australia’s largest natural gas and oil company, Woodside Petroleum, has taken a 30 percent stake in Israel’s Leviathan off-shore gas drilling operation, it was announced today. Located in the Mediterranean 130 km. west of Haifa, Leviathan is estimated to contain up to 17 trillion cubic feet of usable natural gas, making it one of the largest fields in the world.
2012:Israeli security forces continue to foil Arab road terror attempts, including an attempted axe-murderer and a briefcase bomb under a bridge.
2013: Rabbi Yonah Grossman of the Chabad Jewish Center of North Dakota shows that he takes the appellation “lamplighter” literally at Grand Forks where he is scheduled to lead the community in the lighting of a Menorah in the Lincoln Drive Park Warming House.
2013: “Life of the Jews in Palestine: 1913,” documentary about First and Second Aliyah, is scheduled to be shown at the Jerusalem Jewish Film Festival.